Every April, without fail, caribou from the Yukon and Alaska journey to a small corner of Alaska to give birth to their young—a 2700-mile trek of mountains and blizzards, ravenous wolves, scant forage, and icy river crossings—the longest migration of any land animal on earth. Two weeks after his 60th birthday, Robert Leonard Reid (a mountaineer and winner of the Silver Pen Award from the Nevada Writers' Hall of Fame) stood near this sacred destination to witness the remarkable event, both to fulfill a 40-year dream to travel in the Arctic, and to keep a promise to an Alaskan activist who wanted him to "come and see the Great Land" before the caribou and the wolves were gone, and to "write about what you find."

"As Reid recounts his Arctic sojourns with awe, lyricism, and bemusement, he subtly interlaces inner and outer worlds and traces the circles of struggle and understanding, life and death. Spectacular descriptions, charming wit, and forthright reflections on what makes a place sacred become striking testimony to the importance of the Arctic wild and the need to preserve it."—Booklist